


Godmother

by PoisonKisses



Series: The Secret Loves of Poison Ivy [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Green Arrow (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Fatherhood, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8802892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonKisses/pseuds/PoisonKisses
Summary: Roy is a good father, and he tries to take care of his daughter, but when the League comes looking for Lian, he gets unexpected help.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This one is for Mary.
> 
> I know this diverges quite a bit from comics canon, but I refuse to let Lian go.

It had been an exhausting mission in Gotham City.

Roy wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot shower and sleep for days. Jason dropped him off at the cheap, sleazy hotel and disappeared into the night, saying he had ‘shit to do’ and honestly, Roy was ok with that. Jason did that a lot—kept his own council, had his own private missions—things he wanted no help with. Sometimes it bothered Roy there was a whole part of his life Jason didn’t want him in, but other times he was thankful for the occasional respite.

He wasn’t on top of his game when he slipped into the dark room and stripped off his quiver, dropping it and his bow on the ground next to the sink. He didn’t immediately take note of the diaper bag, or the fact there were used towels on the sink, but when he sensed movement and Jade stepped out of the shadows in the corner, he knew it was trouble.

Jade Nguyen, Cheshire, professional killer for the League of Assassins, was wearing a long coat over her gear, her mask was pushed up on top of her head. 

“Jade,” he said, shocked. He hadn’t seen her in over a year, hadn’t even thought of her in a long time. Seeing her, suddenly, a million emotions came crashing in, and he caught his breath.

She looked tired, dark circles under her pretty eyes. “Hey, Roy.” It was simple, and she smiled. It was a lazy smile, but it wasn’t entirely without warmth. “Keep your voice down, she’s asleep.” She glanced over, purposefully directing his attention to the bed, where Lian was asleep—blankets pulled up to her chin, a stuffed Pony clutched to her body. Roy swallowed past the lump in his throat—she was so big, had grown so much. He wanted to wake her up and just hug her.

“It’s your turn. I’ve got shit coming up and I can’t take care of her. I’m sorry to dump her on you like this, but I’m the last person who can take care of a kid right now.” For what it was worth, Roy believed her.

“No, no, it’s ok. I’ll take her. Jade, you know if you need help…if you’re in some sort of trouble…”

She walked past him, coming close. Her closeness brought it all back, all that pain, and suddenly it was like the last few years never happened. She shook her head sadly. “Roy, it’s too late for that. You know that. You can’t save me. Just…take care of our daughter.”

“You know I will.” And then Jade was gone.

***

Jason didn’t take it well.

“You want to what?!” 

Roy sighed. “Look, Jaybird, I have my daughter. I have to take a brief leave of absence. It’s not that big a…”

“Roy, goddammit. We need you. Find a nanny.”

We need me or you do, Roy thought to himself. Just say it, Jason. “C’mon man, the poor kid’s mom is an assassin and her dad is, well, me. She needs some normal in her life.”

“I thought this meant something to you. I thought we were on the same page.”

“That’s not fair, bro. It does mean something. But we’re talking about my DAUGHTER here.”

Jason had never been an even tempered guy and when he snarled “Know what, whatever. Let me know when you get your priorities straight.” The call went dead with a click, and Roy rolled his eyes.

“Sorry, Jason. I have them straight.” He grinned over at the little girl sitting at the table in her Hello Kitty onesie pajamas, sloppily spooning cheerios into her mouth. She caught his gaze and grinned, causing milk to spill out of her full mouth.

“Hi Daddy!” She waved a tiny hand and Roy knew he was making the right decision.

***

Craftwood was a beautiful little town a half hour drive west of Gotham. Lian loved her preschool, Roy’d had little trouble finding a job at a small sporting goods store selling hunting supplies—archery gear especially, and for the past few months they’d made a nice little life together. Roy found it peaceful, in a way, to be away from the entire superhero and villain lifestyle. 

He’d spent the afternoon selling archery supplies to local hunters, and he picked up Lian at Miss Katharine’s in the early afternoon. Lian was excitedly showing him the pictures she’d made in class, happily chattering in her high pitched little voice about her day from her car seat in the back of his tiny car. He glanced at her in the mirror.

“Hey, munchkin, want nuggets for dinner? We can eat in the park!”

“YAY,” she clapped her hands in agreement. Lian loved the park. They went several times a week and Lian loved the flower beds, the swing sets, and the monkey bars. A quick stop in the local diner and soon they were settling on a picnic table. Tate Park wasn’t a large one, but it adjoined several hundred acres of forest. He had a burger and fries, and he grinned as Lian quickly devoured her chicken nuggets and then raced off to play.

It’d been a long day, and Roy absorbed himself in some silly superhero game on his phone while Lian ran around, shrieking with laughter and chasing other kids. He was happy, but in the back of his mind, there was always the fear that Jade would reappear, demanding her back. He didn’t want that. He wanted Jade out of his life. He wanted that door closed, that chapter ended.

Silence was the thing that tipped him off that something was wrong. Looking up, he couldn’t see Lian, couldn’t hear her shrieks of joy. He shot to his feet, calling to her and speeding to a trot in a single motion, scanning for the tiny little girl. “LIAN?” Roy was almost in panic mode when he spotted a tiny form stepping out from the woodline at the far side of the park. He met her at a full sprint, terror gripping him.

For her part, the little girl was giggling. She had a beautiful lily in her hair and was streaked with mud, but as he quickly scanned her for injuries, she seemed unharmed.  
“Lian! Where were you, you scared me!”

“Hi Daddy!” She ran and he scooped her up, hugging her tiny little warm body protectively.

“Are you ok? Are you hurt?” She seemed far too happy for that, and she shook her head, her grin fading, as she picked up on his distress.

“Daddy, I’m ok. I was playing with the Forest Lady.” The Forest Lady? This was new, but Lian was creative and likely she’d made another imaginary friend. She already had a dozen or more.

“Who is the Forest Lady, munchkin?” His heart was still racing, visions of Jade kidnapping her again dancing through his brain.

“She’s very pretty. She lives in the forest and she grows all the flowers. Do you like my flower?” Lian reached up with a tiny hand and petted the gorgeous lily in her hair.

He was almost shaking from he quick adrenaline rush. “Ok, munchkin, but you have to promise Daddy you won’t go off into the woods by yourself, it’s not safe. Ok? You could get hurt.”

“Oh, no Daddy, the Forest Lady won’t let anything hurt me. She’s a nice lady.” She said this matter-of-factly, with infinite patience, and in a tone one used when explaining something to someone who wasn’t entirely in possession of their faculties. He fought the grin threatening to split his face.

“Ok, if you say so, just always stay where Daddy can see you. Deal?”

“Deal!”

***

Summer passed uneventfully. Roy went through his routine, Lian played in the park every night and chattered about the Forest Lady whenever he asked. I’m happy, he thought. Maybe I was never meant to be a superhero. Away from Ollie, away from Jason, away from all the madness, he’d found some peace. Finally.

The thing about peace, unfortunately, is that it has a tendency to get shattered.

It was August. The heat had finally broken, and the first signs of the leaves changing were on the trees…just a hint of golden and crimson among the green. Lian seemed to be growing up over night. He’d spent the day buying the little girl new shoes—hers no longer fit. He’d just finished his late night workout and stopped to admire himself in the mirror. With more time to train, he’d sculpted his body into a lean, powerful figure. In the back of his mind he understood just because he was no longer jumping off rooftops didn’t mean he could go soft. He washed his face and ran his hands through his close cropped red hair. 

It was pure instinct that gave him the warning. Throwing himself to the side, he barely managed to evade the spray of shuriken that shattered the mirror. He rolled to a crouch, whirling just in time to see the assassin coming at him with a pair of twin swords. The man was in full League of Assassins uniform, minus the mask—inner tunic, wrapped arms, hands, feet, and legs, outer cloak, hood, quiver of arrows and short bow. The killer wasted no words at first, coming at him in a controlled attack. Roy backpedaled to avoid the swords, seeking a weapon, old instincts that never really went away helping him keep his attacker at bay, and using the close quarters against him.

“You picked the wrong house, buddy,” he snarled as he rounded a corner and stepped inside the man’s guard. His forehead connected with a satisfying crunch into the man’s nose and then he was driving a savage knee into the his midsection. He straddled the man and delivered a pair of elbows to the man’s temple.

League of Assassins? He wouldn’t be alone. Quickly he stripped off the man’s bow and quiver. It wasn’t HIS bow but it was better than nothing. He was standing back up when he heard the voice.

“Good. You haven’t lost your edge, Harper. I’m going to enjoy killing you.”

He turned. There were two more men and a woman in his living room, and one of those men was Bronze Tiger. Roy had just enough time to think, oh SHIT, and the killer was on him, claws coming within inches of slitting his throat. The man was good, good enough to take on the Bat, and it took everything Roy had to keep up. He used the staff of his bow as a defensive weapon, backpedaling desperately to try and put distance between himself and the Assassin. A table splintered and a lamp broke with a crash. He managed a kick to Tiger’s tight midsection, but was raked by his razor sharp claws and left bleeding. The other two assassins watched, impassively. Roy’s worst nightmare happened.

“Daddy?” Lian stood in the doorway leading to her bedroom, wearing her Hello Kitty pajamas and holding her stuffed Batgirl plushie in one hand. She was rubbing one eye. 

Everyone else whirled to stare at her.

“LIAN,” he screamed in terror, “Run! Get out of here!”

“We’re here for that child, Harper,” growled Tiger. “She will follow in her mother’s footsteps, and you will be in the ground.” Roy stood—the slash wasn’t deep but looked bad, three parallel lines in his flesh seeping blood, the cut had gone straight through his sweat pants.

“Not gonna happen, asshole,” he growled back, but his blood went cold at those words. Everything he’d feared was coming to pass. He had to get Lian out of here, away. His chances against three League Assassins were slim, but against Tiger? 

This was a fight he couldn’t afford to lose. It wasn’t just about him; Lian would suffer a fate worse than death if he failed—her childhood would be stolen from her, her humanity stripped away as they turned her into a remorseless killer. Slowly, he nocked three arrows, Tiger tensed, ready for his next move. The other assassins had drawn their swords. He needed to get Lian away and get some space between himself and Tiger, it was his only chance to get through this alive. He only had one shot at this.

He was an archer. He only needed one shot.

“Lian, run! Run to the Park!” he was raising his bow, Tiger diving to the side, and he had a sudden idea. “Go to the Forest Lady, munchkin! GO!” He fired, and three arrows streaked toward their targets. None of them struck,all three agile and prepared for his shot, but that hadn’t been the intention. As Tiger dove, he dove as well, toward the man, getting close enough the fist claws were of little use. Lian didn’t hesitate. She bolted out the door, and Roy felt a stab of relief as he grappled with Tiger. The other two assassins started forward but Tiger snarled.

“Idiots. Get the child. I’ll kill Harper.” It cost him, his head slightly turned, so Roy drove his forehead into the man’s mouth with a sickening crunch. Driven by an adrenaline fueled terror, he felt the man’s lip burst like a bubble, teeth crack, heard him grunt in pain and his grip loosen. Roy then drove a knee into his groin with enough force to lift Tiger off the ground. The other two hesitated, and in his head Roy was counting out seconds of head start he was giving Lian. If she could just make it to the woods and hide until morning…

“GO!” roared Tiger, and he staggered back to his feet before lunging at Roy. Roy let him. This was exactly what he wanted. As Tiger came close he dropped the bow and caught the man’s wrists, but let his momentum carry them both backward, toward the window. There was a crash as they went through the glass and then freefall. Roy twisted, Tiger so focused on stabbing he allowed Roy to control the fall and they landed with Tiger down, his breath blasting out from the fifteen foot drop. Roy drove an elbow into the man’s face, but Tiger was no pushover and he twisted, flinging Roy off.

“You’re wasting our time, Harper,” Tiger spat, literally drooling blood. He tore off his mask, his dark eyes blazing with anger. Roy panted, stalling. Tick tock tick tock, more time for Lian to get away. He wasn’t hurt—a few scrapes. Tiger rolled his head. “The League is collecting her right now while you fight me. Not only will you lose, you’ll lose everything.”

Roy blinked. “You’re right.” He flipped Tiger off, and then turned and bolted, angling toward the park at a full sprint. Tiger roared and gave chase, pursuing him. He was in time to see the two assassins running across the street and in the dim light he thought he could just make out Lian’s tiny form disappearing into the woodline. The League wouldn’t just let her go, he had to stop them. He had to save Lian. With no other thought, he angled toward the nearest assassin who plunged into the treeline after Lian.

The woods were dark, but as he ran, heedless of the branches and roots, it almost felt like the path was open for him. Ahead, he heard the female assassin cursing in Chinese as she got tangled in briars, heard the other male assassin slicing at the thickets. Behind him, he heard Tiger suddenly fall, heavily, and curse. As he breezed through the brush, following Lian, he felt something…odd.

It was hard to describe in words. As a child, spending time with Brave Bow, he often accompanied the Medicine Man to a sacred circle where his guardian would commune with the spirits. The land there had felt different. Quiet. Observant. Peaceful. Roy didn’t know if he believed in the spirit world, but he slowed to a trot as the woods suddenly took on that aspect. The hair on the back of his neck rose. He could feel something was off. No. That’s not how it felt. It wasn’t that the trees around him felt wrong—they felt…too right.

Suddenly the trees opened up, and he found himself in a glade. A stream meandered through a clearing, picturesque rocks breaking up the gurgling water, forming eddies and even a still pond. Beds of wildflowers bloomed everywhere and everything was cast only in silver moonlight. It was beautiful but eerie, and Roy’s sense that it was somehow different or off increased. He noticed water lilies lining the shore of the little stream, and a small wooden bridge crossing it—the same lilies that he’d seen in Lian’s hair. In shock, he crossed the bridge and crested a small hill. The stream passed by a massive weeping willow tree, the biggest he’d ever seen, it’s breadth covering the entire northern section of the glade. He saw Lian.

The little girl was smiling, giggling, and a woman was next to her, tall, but leaning over Lian, one delicate hand gracefully stretched out to the child. Oddly, Roy felt no fear—as though fear and violence were alien in this place. The woman stood, and Roy could see she had a mass of beautiful red hair that tumbled in thick curls down her back, well past her waist. She turned to look at him, and his breath caught. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Lian shrieked, “Daddy!” A chill ran down his spine as the woman brushed her hair back and he realized with a start who she was.

Poison Ivy.

Holy shitballs, that’s Poison Ivy, he thought. The ‘Forest Lady’ was Poison Freaking Ivy. His daughter’s imaginary friend was the most lethal woman in the world.

She was wearing a gown made out of what appeared to be blades of grass but shaped together like a designer dress—lowcut to show off her incredible decolletage and slit high on her shapely leg. As she started toward him, she looked like an actress walking into the Academy Awards, even reaching down and pulling the skirt up to walk more easily, completing the impression. There was a crown of white blossoms in her hair, making her look like some Pagan Goddess painted in moonlight. Roy squared up to meet her and saw her mouth opening to speak when Tiger burst through the underbrush behind him, staggering into the cleared space. Lian whimpered, a sound that filled him with rage, and she hid behind the woman’s legs. Roy whirled to face Tiger, Poison Ivy forgotten for the moment.

Tiger addressed her. “Well, we didn’t know you were nearby, Poison Ivy. I represent the League of Shadows—that child is ours, hand her over and we’ll be on our way.”

Roy turned back to the beautiful woman, who was narrowing her eyes. “This child is a child, and doesn’t belong to anyone.” Her voice was a silky purr—Roy swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat. He could die happy with that voice reciting the phone book to him. He met her gaze, and she winked at him.

He couldn’t breathe. Suddenly, he thought maybe they would make it through this.

Bronze Tiger didn’t like that answer. “Just hand her over and there will be no further trouble.” Lian was clinging to her, and he saw Ivy drop her hand to hold the little girl’s. “This is none of your concern, woman. Stay out of it.”

“Or what?” Her tone dripped false sweetness. Roy tensed, watching Tiger, ready to intervene.

“You’ll regret it. You know who we are and what happens to—” He was cut off by screams. Male and female voices from the woods behind him suddenly began to shriek in agony and then simultaneously, ominously cut off.

“Oh, Talia’s little band of minions don’t frighten me. In fact, I want to send her a message.” Ivy knelt to put her face close to Lian’s. “Little petal, I want you to run and pick one of the blue flowers on the other side of the great tree, can you do that?” Lian nodded enthusiastically and bolted off, and Ivy stood. Tiger tensed to pursue, but it was too late. From behind him, dozens of branches and vines shot from the woodline, wrapping him almost instantly. They flew faster than a shot arrow, ensnaring Tiger before he could do more than twitch. One tightly wrapped around his mouth, gagging him. Ivy held out her hand, fingers open. “Tell Talia that if she hadn’t threatened me, I might have stayed out of it, but now? Thanks to you, I’m taking a personal interest in this little girl. She’s under my protection, and if I ever so much as see the shadow of one of you again, I’ll come peel the   
flesh from her bones.” She closed her fingers into a fist, and every vine wrapping Tiger up began to constrict. Roy saw the man began to thrash, screaming into his gag, and heard his bones snapping like milk over rice cereal. A chill went up his spine, and then Tiger passed out from the pain and shock. The trees dragged him back in.

“She didn’t need to see that.” Ivy explained without looking at him.

“Thank you,” Roy responded, voice cracking. The woman turned and smiled at him, and he felt his heart skip.

“I’ve seen you in the park. You’re doing right by her. You’re a good father. Not all little girls get good fathers.” Her smile seemed…sad. She stepped close, and when she raised a slender, perfect hand to caress his cheek, he couldn’t help but lean into her touch. “I don’t know which one you are. Green Arrow’s partner, maybe?” He nodded with a faint smile that she didn’t say ‘sidekick.’

She stood on her tip toes and kissed him.

God, she smelled like sunshine—tasted like honey. Her lips were soft beyond words, her tongue playful and enticing. That kiss was happiness made flesh. He hadn’t felt like that since he was a boy, picking his way down the canyon walls, listening to Brave Bow’s stories of the first peoples, looking up at the endless sky and countless stars while drifting off in his sleeping bag. She was primal—as primal as the scorpions he used to catch, eager to tame but only ever able to admire. Beautiful and lethal. She was more addictive than any drug he’d ever tried, and he felt a sudden thrill of fear—not because she could kill him, but because he knew, instantly, she could own him completely and he’d happily give her everything.

She broke it softly, and smiled warmly up at him. Her eyes were big and green and luminous; he couldn’t look away. “If she ever needs anything, come to me. She’s a precious flower that should be kept safe.” He nodded dumbly, wanting to say ‘thank you’ but unable to speak. “Just think of me as…her Godmother.”

Then Lian was there, giggling and happy, chanting in her high-pitched voice “Daddy kissed the Forest Lady, Daddy kissed the Forest Lady!”

Ivy knelt and talked to her, exclaiming at the beautiful flower and putting it in Lian’s hair. She picked her up, whirling her, and then handed her to him. As they left, he looked back one last time as she was crossing the little bridge, painted in silver moonlight, and committed her to memory.

***

“So what are we getting today?”

“Here ya go, buddy. Basically this.” Roy handed the man a crumpled sheet of paper, hastily sketched in a police station once he’d given his statement and finished in a hotel room while Lian slept. The guy studied it: the world ‘POISON’ over a scorpion.

“No sweat,” the man said and pulled on gloves. Roy adjusted his ball cap and relaxed as the needle went to work on his skin “Does it mean anything?”

“Yeah, believe it or not, it’s for my kid’s Godmother.”

The man grunted and went to work.


End file.
